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WASHINGTON: Twitter suspended US President Donald Trump’s account for 12 hours on Wednesday (January 6) and threatened to ban him permanently for “repeated and serious violations” of the social media platform’s civic integrity rules.
Twitter said it required the removal of Trump’s tweets “as a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, DC” after pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to force Congress to annul the result of the elections.
READ: Guns and tear gas on the US Capitol as Trump supporters try to reverse their loss
He said that if the tweets, in which the president pushed for unsubstantiated claims about the election, were not removed, the account would remain locked, meaning the president would not be able to tweet from @realDonaldTrump.
Twitter also said in a tweet that future violations of its rules, including its civic integrity policy or violent threats, would result in the permanent suspension of the account.
Previously, Twitter removed a video in which Trump claimed that the November election result was fraudulent. The video was also removed by Facebook and YouTube.
READ: Pelosi Says Biden Won Certification To Resume Once Capitol Is Safe
LEE: Woman shot dead in riots in the US Capitol.
Facebook Vice President of Integrity Guy Rosen tweeted that the social media company believed the video “contributes more than lessening the risk of continued violence,” and said the action was part of “appropriate emergency measures.”
Google-owned YouTube said the video violated its content policy alleging that “widespread fraud or errors changed the outcome of the 2020 US election.” YouTube spokesperson Farshad Shadloo added that the company allows copies that include additional context.
Social media companies have been under pressure to control disinformation on their platforms around the elections. Trump and his allies have continually spread unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud that have proliferated online.
READ: ‘It’s an insurrection,’ Biden says, as Trump supporters storm the US Capitol.
READ: Donald Trump tells his supporters to ‘go home’ after the assault on the US Capitol.
In a statement Wednesday, the Anti-Defamation League called on social media companies to suspend Trump’s accounts, saying the events on Capitol Hill were the result of “fear and misinformation that has been spewed directly from the Oval Office. “.
Former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos tweeted: “Twitter and Facebook have to cut it. There are no legitimate actions left and tagging won’t.”
A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to researchers and public publications, violent rhetoric and advice on weapons increased significantly in the past three weeks on many social media platforms, as various groups planned demonstrations for Wednesday, including Trump supporters, white nationalists, and enthusiasts of the broad spectrum. conspiracy theory QAnon. .
